Question 1

The _______ system is the collective term for neurons in cranial nerve VIII and the set of organs located in the inner ear that sense head motion and head orientation with respect to gravity.

Accepted Answer

The vestibular system includes the parts of the inner ear and brain that help control balance and eye movements. Cranial nerve VIII, also known as the vestibulocochlear nerve, is involved in hearing and balance and is part of this system.

Question 2

Which five organs make up the vestibular system?

Accepted Answer

The vestibular system, which helps with balance and spatial orientation, consists of three semicircular canals that detect rotational movements and two otolith organs (the saccule and utricle) that detect linear accelerations and gravity.

Question 3

This term describes an illusory sense of spinning.

Accepted Answer

Vertigo specifically refers to the sensation of spinning or having one's surroundings spin around them, which is an illusory experience.

Question 4

The _______ reflex helps us see visual stimuli clearly, even when the head is moving.

Accepted Answer

The vestibulo-ocular reflex (VOR) is responsible for stabilizing vision by coordinating eye movements with head movements, ensuring that we can see clearly even when our head is moving. This reflex allows the eyes to move in the opposite direction of head movement at the same speed, thus maintaining the image of the object being viewed on the center of the visual field.

Question 5

The reason that videos shot with handheld cameras seem so shaky and hard to follow is because when we see something with our own eyes, our _______ allows us to compensate for our own motion and maintain a steady image on the retina.

Accepted Answer

The vestibular-ocular reflex (VOR) is responsible for stabilizing our vision by making automatic adjustments in eye movement to compensate for head movements. This reflex helps maintain a steady image on the retina despite our own motion, which is why handheld camera footage, lacking this compensation, appears shaky.

Question 6

The _______ reflex is the term for eye movements that compensate for rotations of the head to maintain fixation on an object.

Accepted Answer

The vestibulo-ocular reflex is responsible for stabilizing vision by producing eye movements that compensate for head movements, allowing for continuous fixation on an object despite the motion.

Question 7

If a person fixates on an object and then rotates her head to the right, the _______ reflex will cause her eyes to rotate to the left to maintain fixation.

Accepted Answer

The vestibulo-ocular reflex (VOR) is responsible for stabilizing vision by producing eye movements in the opposite direction of head movements, allowing for continuous fixation on an object even as the head rotates.

Question 8

The sense of _______ is comprised of three interacting sensory modalities: our sense of linear motion, angular motion, and tilt.

Accepted Answer

Spatial orientation is the correct answer because it involves the integration of sensory information from the vestibular system (sense of linear motion, angular motion, and tilt), visual system, and proprioceptive system to understand our position and movement in space.

Question 9

_______ flow inward to the central nervous system from sensors in the periphery, while _______ flow outward from the central nervous system to the periphery.

Accepted Answer

Afferent signals are sensory signals that travel from the periphery of the body to the central nervous system (CNS), while efferent commands are motor signals that travel from the CNS to the periphery to initiate movement or action.

Question 10

The neural processes of posture control by which weight is evenly distributed, enabling us to remain upright and stable, is called

Accepted Answer

Balance is the correct term for the neural processes that control posture and the even distribution of weight to maintain stability and upright position.

Question 11

_______ combines information from efferent commands (such as motor commands to turn the head) and afferent signals (such as the sense of angular motion) to improve our vestibular sense.

Accepted Answer

Active sensing involves the integration of efferent commands and afferent signals to enhance sensory perception, such as the vestibular sense.

Question 12

If you stand on the side of a hill you experience a tilt sensation which can also be described as

Accepted Answer

Graviception refers to the perception of gravity, which is what you experience as a tilt sensation when standing on the side of a hill. This sense helps organisms maintain their balance and orientation in relation to the gravitational pull of the Earth.

Question 13

Which of the following, according to Gibson (1966), provides a "stable permanent framework of the environment" that provides an "underlying and ceaseless awareness of what is permanent in the world"?

Accepted Answer

Gibson (1966) introduced the concept of graviception as a sense that provides a stable, permanent framework of the environment, offering an underlying and ceaseless awareness of what is permanent in the world. This concept is related to how we perceive gravity and its effects, contributing to our sense of balance and orientation.

Question 14

_______ are the toroidal tubes in the vestibular system that sense angular motion.

Accepted Answer

Semicircular canals are the structures in the vestibular system of the inner ear that detect rotational movements of the head, thus sensing angular motion.

Question 15

If you close your eyes and rotate your head from side to side, as if to say "no," you are experiencing _______, which is registered by your _______.

Accepted Answer

Rotating your head from side to side simulates angular motion, which is detected by the semicircular canals in the inner ear, not the otolith organs which detect linear acceleration and head tilts.

Question 16

If you close your eyes and tilt your left ear towards your left shoulder, you are experiencing _______, which is registered by your _______.

Accepted Answer

Tilting your head involves detecting changes in head position relative to gravity, which is registered by the otolith organs.

Question 17

The sense of _______ registers motion resulting from rotation.

Accepted Answer

The sense of angular motion registers motion resulting from rotation, which is directly related to how we perceive and maintain our balance and orientation in space, especially during rotational movements.

Question 18

Suppose you are wearing virtual reality goggles and there is a delay between when you turn your head and when the computer updates the display in the goggles. This creates a(n) _______ that might result in motion sickness.

Accepted Answer

This delay creates a sensory conflict because your body's sense of movement (through the vestibular system in your inner ear) does not match up with what you're seeing. This mismatch can lead to motion sickness.

Question 19

When you accelerate in a car and are pushed back into your seat, you are experiencing _______, which is registered by your _______.

Accepted Answer

When you accelerate in a car and are pushed back into your seat, you are experiencing linear motion. This sensation is registered by your otolith organs, which are sensitive to changes in linear acceleration and gravity.

Question 20

The sense of _______ registers head inclination with respect to gravity.

Accepted Answer

The sense of tilt specifically refers to the detection of head inclination relative to gravity.

Quiz 12: Vestibular Sensation